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Birmingham wins first baseball title since 1969 with 6-3 victory over Chatsworth

Birmingham's team dogpiles on each other after it beat Chatsworth 9-6 in the CIF City Section Division I baseball final baseball final June 7, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA Daily News)

Birmingham's head coach Matt Mowry kisses the trophy after winning 6-3 over Chatsworth in the CIF City Section Division I baseball final baseball final June 7, 2014, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Gene Blevins/LA Daily News)

Before it boarded the bus for Dodger Stadium on Saturday morning, the Birmingham baseball team gathered in its school gym and stared up at the program’s last championship banner.

Over four decades had passed since it was woven and raised, honoring the program’s one-run victory over Monroe in 1969.

“We said we were going to hang one next to it,” said freshman designated hitter Justin Rorick.

The sixth-seeded Patriots will do exactly that with a 6-3 win over West Valley League rival Chatsworth, claiming the City Section Division I title with five runs in the final two innings. When reliever Adrian Rodriguez ended the seventh with a strikeout, the team charged out of the right-field dugout and dogpiled just beyond home plate.

“It’s surreal,” said head coach Matt Mowry, a few minutes before his Patriots doused him in ice-cold water.

San Fernando Valley schools have now won 22 straight championships, and 41 of the last 42.

Key to the latest effort was Rorick, named the game’s most outstanding player for a 1-for-3 performance with two RBIs. Entering the game as Birmingham’s leader in hits (18) and RBIs (13), he came through in the biggest moment of the day.

With the score knotted at one run apiece, Rorick walked up to bat with a runner on first and one out. Chatsworth’s freshman pitcher Tommy Palomera had him on a 2-2 count, but he guessed a high curveball and connected for a go-ahead triple into right field.

Only the Patriots’ second hit of the day, the sharp grounder set off an offensive eruption. Palomera was yanked after 5 1/3 innings, replaced by sophomore Josh Garcia. The change didn’t help.

Before the inning ended, Garcia surrendered two singles and a walk, plating two more Birmingham runs for a 4-1 deficit.

The Patriots (19-14) hammered him for three more singles in the seventh, plus a sacrifice fly from Rorick that scored their fifth run.

“You’re talking about a freshman — are you kidding me?” Mowry said of Rorick. “A freshman coming up and clutching up the way he did, that’s unbelievable.”

No. 5 seed Chatsworth (28-6-1) made its third City Section final in four years, but fell short under first-year head coach Curtis Scott, who announced his resignation to the team after the game, deciding to return to coach at Moorpark College, according to Chatsworth athletic director Jonathan Sheriff.

The Chancellors have nine championships to their credit, but haven’t won since 2009.

Their best chance came in the bottom of the sixth. Birmingham starter Jonathan Russomano had retired 17 of 19 batters, but couldn’t close out another frame. After giving up a single and a double, he loaded the bases with an errant pitch that hit Chatsworth center fielder Tyler Ryan.

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As fans buzzed in the left-field stands, third baseman Anthony Mayorga grounded to shortstop. But the throw sailed over first base, giving enough time for three runners to round home and apparently tie the score.

However, an umpire review pulled back one of the runners and preserved a 4-3 Patriots lead.

Rodriguez then entered the game. After loading the bases again with a full-count walk, he forced a flyout to strand all three runners.

“I knew we were going to get out of the inning,” said Russomano, who dispelled pregame nerves by holding communion with his parents.

“It sucks to get pulled out, knowing you could have done better, but you move on and have faith in the guy that steps up after you. I didn’t lose faith at all.”

Mowry lauded his starter: “He’s given that to us throughout the year. The guy’s a bulldog. He just goes out and competes.”

The win capped a campaign that looked rocky three months ago.

Birmingham opened the season with four consecutive losses that spanned the emotional spectrum, from an 8-0 blowout by West Ranch to a 6-5 nailbiter at Oaks Christian that lasted 10 innings.

After breaking through with 4-3 victory over Crespi, the Patriots suffered just one more back-to-back loss. They won eight of the last 10 games, including Marshall, Kennedy and Narbonne to advance to their first final in any division since 2006 when they lost to Granada Hills in the Invitational title game.

“Once we won our first game, we started rolling from there and got really hot in the playoffs,” Rorick said. “We were considered the underdogs. We had nothing to lose, so that gave us a lot of confidence.”